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League of Women Voters of Washington
2025 Biennial Convention
June 5-8, 2025
Vancouver, WA ★ Heathman Lodge
7801 NE Greenwood Drive, Vancouver, Washington 98662
The League of Women Voters of Washington will begin its biennial Convention on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The Plenary will convene on Friday, June 6, and end on Sunday, June 8, at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA.
The business of Convention will set the stage for the 2025-2027 biennium and will include adoption of Program of Work, election of officers and board of directors, adoption of budget, and adoption of bylaw amendments. There will be a variety of workshops addressing key issues and tips and ideas from other Leagues for League work.
Additional Convention details will be added as they become available. The final business for Convention will be posted by April 25, 2025, in compliance with the LWVWA bylaws.
Sign Up Now for Pre-Convention Caucus
Jump to the Following Topics
Do you want to hold a caucus on a particular topic? Caucuses are informal gatherings outside of the regular business meeting times (after the evening program). They may be on:
- Informational on topics of general interest where you would like to see a task force created, a committee convened, or a toolkit developed.
- Sharing of resources/knowledge—for example, technology, voter service outreach, civic education projects
- Brainstorming/problem-solving sessions
- Or anything you want to discuss with your League colleagues!
Early request will mean that your Caucus can be listed in the Convention Workbook—otherwise, the information will be announced and posted on the Information Board at Convention.
We have blocked out time on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings for caucuses. You will need to provide your own technical expertise. We will have the ability to schedule some caucuses on the LWVWA Zoom account, but you may need to provide your own Zoom account if we have too many requests for simultaneous caucuses. These will NOT be recorded by LWVWA.
Thursday caucuses will have to be held in personal hotel rooms because we will not have access to the venue space until Friday morning. Friday and Saturday evening caucuses may be held in one of the three meeting rooms we have reserved at Heathman Lodge, at a table in the main meeting room, or in individual hotel rooms. The meeting rooms have projectors, cameras, and screens. If you would like to show a PowerPoint presentation, you may connect a personal laptop to the HDMI cable at the podium. If you do NOT have an HDMI port on your laptop, you will need to bring your own adapter ("dongle").
Caucus requests received before May 15 will be included in the Workbook. Requests that come in after that date will only be listed on the Convention website.
The final business documents will be posted by April 25, 2025.
Reservations at the Heathman Lodge may be made by calling 360-254-3100. Please tell the reservation agent that you will be part of the League of Women Voters of Washington Group and request the Group rate when you call.
There are rooms available for $169/night (plus the following fees: the current Vancouver City Occupancy Tax of 10.7%, a $2.00 per room, per night County Assessment, and an amenity fee of $16.30 per night for an estimated total of $205.38/night).
We have been notified by the hotel that there is a quirk in their system so that the room rate is only available if you ask for a double occupancy room. The rate is the same for both single and double-occupancy rooms, so even if you intend to have a room to yourself, you must request a double-occupancy room.
**Nominations must be submitted no later than May 21, 2025.**
The Evergreen Series Awards
In addition to being the symbol of our State (Washington, the Evergreen State), the evergreen is symbolic of green vibrancy and life-long connections. Evergreens grow on both sides of the state and can reflect our state as a whole better than many other symbols. The series, in which the purpose of each award is based on the symbolism of its name, is:
The Cedar Award: given for actions that reflect generosity and providence. The cedar tree is a symbol of strength, support and connection, and prosperity.
The Fir Award: given for actions that demonstrate pillar of strength, tower of truth. The fir is a symbol of the power of determination and perseverance.
The Pine Award: given for actions that represent the longevity and virtue of League. The pine is a symbol of wisdom, longevity, reaching for the stars and striving to make life better.
The Evergreen Award: the highest award, given for extraordinary actions that sustain League and keep it vibrant and growing.
The awardees can be League members or non-League members but the purpose of giving each award is for something extraordinary.
The Dorothy Roberts Award
The Dorothy Roberts Award is presented every two years at the LWVWA Convention to a person who shows a commitment, dedication, and passion for the mission of the state League.
The award recognizes an individual who has been active in the state League whose beneficial work in the wider community has brought recognition to the League and its mission and who has made the LWVWA known to others outside the League while doing state League work. There is an emphasis on accomplishments outside the state League.
We are inviting local Leagues, committees, and other groups to set up (and staff) display tables for attendees to learn more about their work. (Potential display table ideas include sharing a program that you are proud of, recruiting for a project, or selling items from your League.) Table setup begins Friday at 8am, and breakdown must be completed by 2pm on Sunday. Use this form to submit an application for your own display table. Table space is limited, so we will do our best to distribute them equitably. Deadline for submissions is May 15.
We have several fun excursions planned:
- Thursday afternoon: Take a walking "Women's Herstory Tour" through downtown Vancouver.
Travel back in time to celebrate the early days of women in Southwest Washington by taking part in the Herstory Walking Tour, a 75-minute, 10-block stroll through downtown Vancouver Thursday afternoon.
Join League historian Tracy Reilly Kelly, also the curator of the Clark County Historical Museum’s award-winning HerStory exhibit (2020-2024), and learn of the adventures, aspirations and achievements of Indigenous women, women who crossed the Plains, business owners, physicians, socialites, and equal justice and temperance leaders.
We’ll start at the Clark County Historical Museum at 16th and Main streets and end in close proximity to several restaurants recommended for our Friday evening dine-around. Amplification will be used to ensure all can hear the narration.
Thirty minutes before the tour’s start, Reilly Kelly also will be your docent at the museum, where the featured exhibit is “This is Our Legacy: the 80th Anniversary of the NAACP Vancouver Chapter.” Admission is free for all LWV members, thanks to a local League sponsorship. The event is limited to 30 guests.
- Thursday evening: Grab dinner with other attendees by signing up to participate in our dine-around featuring a selection of restaurants.
- Friday morning: Take a tour of the reconstructed Fort Vancouver National History Site, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.
Touring the past: Life 200 years ago at Fort Vancouver
Tour the Fort Vancouver National Historical Site early Friday morning with park superintendent Tracy Fortmann. There, on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the fort, you’ll escape to the 19th-century fur trade era, learning about a place that left an indelible imprint on the Pacific Northwest. We will begin the tour of the reconstructed fort inside the grand home of Chief Factor John McLoughlin and his family, and then visit the kitchen, doctor's quarters, and fur store, ending our visit at the jail. Our tour is limited to 35 visitors.
- Saturday morning: Attend a lecture at the Fort Vancouver National Historical Site Visitors’ Center, “She Who Watches,” a feminist-focused look at the democratic cultures and societies along the Columbia River since the earliest of time.
Reserve Your Spot for Each Field TripDemocracy Witnessed by “She Who Watches on the Columbia"
Join Pacific Northwest historian Mary Rose at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site visitors center Saturday morning for a feminist-focused look at the cultures and societies along the Columbia River since the earliest of times.
Using the lens of “She Who Watches” -- one of the most well-known creature spirits of the River People – Rose will share insights into the lives of Native American and Metis women in business and trade who married Hudson Bay Company officers. From there, she will talk about how the Sisters of Providence created the state’s first woman-owned corporation (exclusive of male trustees) and how women of all races swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution and filed for Donation Land Claims, entitling them to vote in Clark County and hold public office, years earlier than their counterparts in the East.
Learn about the families who, in the years after the Civil War, accompanied army officers and enlisted men to Vancouver Barracks, where many enjoyed Western freedoms unknown to women in the East. Through the ups and downs of statehood, the loss of voting privileges, Indian wars and more, “She Who Watches” remained a steadfast protector, although it would take years before the powerful spirit would be reintroduced to the world by way of the work of Native American artist Lillian Pitt. The presentation is limited to 75 guests.
Note: We're handling registration a little differently this year—meal selections, field trips, and guest meals will be selected (and purchased, as the case may be) closer to the event.
Delegates and observers will use the same registration process. Local Leagues will submit their list of approved delegates to LWVWA no later than May 19. If you would like to be a delegate, please contact your local League.
All in-person registrations include lunch and dinner on Friday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. There will be happy hours with a cash bar on Friday and Saturday evenings before dinner. If you will have a guest with you who will not be registering for Council, but who would like to participate in the group meals, you will have the opportunity to purchase meal tickets for them at a later date.
We will not be able to offer refunds for cancellations received after May 16, 2025. Refunds will only be issued via check. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another person.
Registration Fees:
- In-Person: $205 (Early Bird) and $250 (starting May 16)
- One-Day Registration: $75 (Friday) and $100 (Saturday)
- Virtual: $75 (Early Bird) and $100 (starting May 16)
- LWV of Clark County members who will volunteer at Convention are eligible for a discounted registration fee. Contact Dee Anne Finken for a special registration link.